Why the negativity for MK3 Golfs - enlighten me :)

[Diamond Hell]

I've yet to get all involved with the armco.  This came close and could have been a lot worse.

Comment from DannyP, riding shotgun in the passenger seat at the end. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yioRlz50aI

[jeremybarker]

That's one reason why i'd want to put a cage in and some harnesses, if i'd have gone into the tyre wall on the drivers it would have really hurt my neck, i'm not sure of the final impact speed by I fell off at 100mph and made the school boy error of lifting off in a fwd car, as it was I dislocated my spine in three places, snapped my collar bone and twisted my hips and had a bloody sore head from hitting the roof.

I've done quite a few days at Coombe, Avon rise and Quarry is a fantastic combo and so easy to get wrong if you overcook it over Avon rise. These two were taken going into and through the first corner onto the pit straight, damn fun in the wet too 

[tomScotland mk3GTI]

I think all of this depends on what you want from a golf GTI. A mk2 GTI is a great car (esp. a valver) and has its good points and bad points. The mk3 GTI has more refinement, and the difference between the two cars is night and day in terms of comfort and modern feel and was a HUGE leap forward in terms of design, albeit it looks dated now, think back to 1992 tho....

I don't recall many reviews *at the time* saying how disappointing the mk3 was, although if pitched head to head with a late spec mk2 there would certainly have been a clear winner. perhaps if VW had held off and sold the GTI mk3 only in 16v form this debate wouldn't be happening now...

Also, coming into the winter months, and having had several mk2 GTI's I for one am glad to be getting into my car and finding the windows clear within a minute, the heater heats and the blower blows!

So I have a place in my heart for both, unfortunately only have parking for one, so until next summer....

[clipperjay]

So far the only compliments I see about MK3's are they are comfy, warm, has good heaters in winter, suspension cusshy etc....
To me the MK2 is much more fun, older MK2's seals go and windscreens arent as bonded as they used to be, blowers only work on one setting, suspension is harsh etc... Its over 20 years old? 
Why discuss things that make us feel old I thought its about the driving experiance?

Any people who moved on from MK2 to MK3 in my mind they wanted a modern car might have updated there old MK2's, but didn't know how or the millage scared them due to not looking after them properly?

[tomScotland mk3GTI]

At the end of the day, does it really matter? Mk2, 3, 6 or 25 it makes no odds, we could all be driving bloody Vauxhalls.

[clipperjay]

At the end of the day, does it really matter? Mk2, 3, 6 or 25 it makes no odds, we could all be driving bloody Vauxhalls.

It doesn't matter Tom, but I'm sticking to the topic and all I see is people justflying the MK3 in comfort and modern driving? Nothing wrong with that just you can see why MK2 purists love the MK2 and not MK3's
My own personal drving experiance with a bog standard MK3 16V Gti was that it felt souless, like you said I could have been driving another manufacturer if I was blind folded? 
I'm sure MK1 purists say the same thing about MK2's 

[Deano2711]

I felt the same with my Mark 4 GTI. No soul whatsoever. Desperately wanted a Mark 3 again so went out and bought one as they have more life in them. I did look towards a Mark 2 but if you want a nice Mark 2 you need a good bundle of cash really. The Mark 3 is fun to drive and good looking I think and most importantly is affordable. I find that as a family guy the Mark 2 would be more unsuitable as the comfort would be down. I would love a decent Mark 2 as a toy but the Mark 3 offers an everyday compromise to the family guys which is why it was designed and manufactured really.

[Misky]

To be a hot hatch you need to be on the edge of death! 
As mentioned old school hot hatches are more 'fun' to drive they may actually be slower buy you can rest assure they feel 5X faster due to the driver involvement as DH said!
In all fairness the Mk3 gti does need driver involvement but its just lethargic i guess.
Strip it down and your left with a mk2 

[tomScotland mk3GTI]

you can see why MK2 purists love the MK2 and not MK3's

Absolutely. Then of course there are the MK1 owners who feel the same about everything after that. Its all subjective really, time has moved on and inevitably all production cars have gotten heavier, less involving, safer etc etc through the progress and developments made over the years. The MK3 Golf was a great car if you just landed from the moon and never drove a mk1 or 2! You'd have said the same if you beamed down in 1983 and jumped into an XR3i, never having experienced a mex or rs2000 etc etc.

A lot of people say the mk3 GTI didn't deserve the badge, I disagree. I've never owned a mk1 but I agree the mk3 feels "numb" compared to a mk2, thats progress unfortunately but bearing in mind the developments of the time the mk3 for me is a good compromise. My wife has a mk5, when its parked next to my mk3 it looms over it like a BIG car in comparison, I never thought anything would make the mk3 look small and weedy but there you go, case in point.

[snifferdog]

Ive had plenty of cars with nowhere near as much 'soul' as the mk3 and I find it ridiculous when people say that. Fair enough it isnt the same as the mk2 but compare it to escort, saxo, renault 19, sierra, astra, clio (excl. 16v and williams) etc and it certainly has got a certain appeal to drive.